Tea or Electricity

Until recently, the inhabitants of the isolated Moroccan mountain village of Ifri lived as their ancestors had for centuries. Civilisation has been very slow to impact a spot without electricity, running water or a paved access road. Now everything is about to change as Ifri awaits electrification. The villagers’ argument that they would far prefer a motorway goes unheeded. Is it better to have a cow that provides milk for my 10 children or a bulb on the ceiling? Can I deny my family electricity when all the neighbours are getting it? Such questions are posed by the villagers before they succumb to the powerful pull of civilisation. For three years the filmmakers followed local residents, from the initial visit of the energy company representatives to the purchase of the first TV in Ifri. Night shots – lit only by the flames of the fires around which whole families gather every evening – are particularly powerful. However, the wide eyes and open mouths exhibited by both children and adults while viewing TV ads for the first time indicate that everything will soon be different.